A plan is in the works to create an interactive countywide map of trails in the Flathead Valley and update the county’s 2010 trails plan.

More than two-dozen stakeholders have been meeting monthly since July to update and build on the trails plan that took shape a decade ago as directed in the county’s 2007 growth policy. In 2008 a PATHS (People, Athletics, Travel, Health and Safety) Advisory Committee led a collaborative effort that took roughly two years to develop the initial trails plan.

Flathead County Weed/Park/Recreation Board member Mary Ruby was asked by the board to coordinate a plan update. She gave a progress report to the county commissioners last week about the PATHS2 effort.

An initial informational meeting in July drew a huge crowd. “The response was exceptional,” Ruby told the commissioners.

“Most of the trail groups are participating in this update,” she said, listing organizations such as Whitefish Legacy Partners, Gateway to Glacier, Foys to Blacktail, Rails to Trails and a Bigfork trail group led by Bigfork Rotary.

Snowmobiling groups, the Back Country Horsemen, conservation groups and a swath of county, state and federal agencies also are involved.

Gary Danczyk of the U.S. Forest Service was one of several stakeholder representatives who addressed the commissioners. He said multi-use trails throughout the county will become more important as destination visitors seek options that include trails outside of heavily used Glacier National Park.

“The whole public-private sponsorship is a growing investment for the valley,” Danczyk said. “This effort is intended to collaborate” with Flathead National Forest, other government agencies, nonprofit groups and area businesses.

“The Achilles Heel” for the trails plan is how to pay for trail maintenance in perpetuity, Danczyk noted.

Diane Medler, director of the Kalispell Convention and Visitor Bureau, noted that “through the tourism lens” a countywide trail system with connectivity is a drawing card for visitors.

“As Glacier [becomes more] overcrowded, this will be a great tool to get visitors beyond the park,” Medler said, noting the importance of a four-season trail system for multiple user groups.

David Landstrom, Region 1 park manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said the agency’s recreational trails grant program is a vital source of bringing money to the table not only for construction but also for maintenance and operations.

“We’re acutely interested in seeing trails placed in a logical fashion that have maintenance plans behind them,” Landstrom said. “It’s one thing to build them, it’s another to see them maintained. We’re interested in putting in trails where they make sense.”

The county maintains about 22 miles of trail, county Parks and Recreation Director Jed Fisher said.

A goal for the plan update is to inventory existing trails and identify needs for future trails. But the update also will better define the nuances of trail maintenance, such as which trails need more care, Fisher said. Some trails, such as those that run in front of area schools, need more intensive maintenance such as snowplowing.

Flathead County’s Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Department will help with the interactive map, Ruby noted.

Once the PATHS2 Advisory Committee has fully solidified its goals and actions, public meetings will be held starting sometime early next year.

Commissioner Gary Krueger advised the committee to make sure private landowners such as Weyerhaeuser and F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Co. are included in the plan update because some trails cross private land. Ruby said the timber companies, along with Glacier National Park, have been invited to participate.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.